Cubs Outfielders - 4/11/23

A look at a strong group of young, Cubs outfield prospects

In the past few editions of the prospect spotlight, I’ve taken a look at individual players that have impressed me. In this edition, I wanted to highlight not just one player, but the Chicago Cubs and their exciting group of outfielders that all project to be potential big leaguers.

Pete Crow-Armstrong

Will the Mets be able to dodge lightning twice? After trading Jarred Kelenic in the Edwin Díaz / Robinson Canó deal, it looked like Kelenic would be a multiple time All-Star, while Diaz would be just an average closer and Cano being well over the hill. The PCA for Javy Báez trade is looking far worse, as the Mets didn’t come close to being a World Series contender in 2021, and PCA is looking like a future Gold Glove All-Star. Since being traded from the Mets, Crow-Armstrong has made a swing change and has really tapped into his raw power, while his plus hit tool is holding steady and showing plus plus defense in center. Not much has changed since the last time we did a writeup on him, but it is worth following his strikeout rate here in Double-A. It slowly rose last year as he advanced to High-A, and he has already struck out five times in fourteen plate appearances — though obviously a small sample. His floor is fairly high just from the defense alone, but center fielders need to hit for some power nowadays to start and Crow-Armstrong is doing just that.

Kevin Alcántara

Alcántara will probably always have whiff problems due to his long limbs, but his athleticism and raw power give him a ceiling that few other outfielders have in the minor leagues this year. He spent all of 2022 in Low-A, where he slashed .273 / .360 / .451 and a 24.8% strikeout rate, which is relatively low given his age and. Alcántara is an above average runner now who will probably slow down a bit as he fills out and will most likely move to right as well, where he has a plus arm, but he will hit for enough power that he will clear the power bar for corner outfielders easily. Whether or not he becomes an All-Star or not comes down to whether or not his body control and feel for hitting develops as he ages. It’s a tricky bet to make, but one I feel confident in after his first full year of pro ball.

Owen Caissie

Caissie is your prototypical corner outfield prospect, with a well built frame and plus raw power, along with some strikeout issues. He received an aggressive assignment, playing in High A for all of 2022 as a 19 year old, and while he struggled at the start he managed to put together a respectable .254/.349/.402 with 11 home runs. Per FanGraphs, Caissie’s max exit velocity is one of the highest in all of the minor leagues, and for someone who did not see much good pitching growing up in Canada, a 28.6% K% while being three years younger than the competition on average is not horrible. His strikeout rate was roughly in the 60th percentile for High A(meaning that he struck out more than 60% of batters), but his walk rate was also in the 60th percentile. Caissie is physically limited to the corners but is still a decent defender regardless. Overall, this is a well rounded corner outfielder with some strikeout issues, but shows a lot of positives as well.